Report on the 2017 Midwest Regional ACS Meeting
Submitted by: Joseph A. Heppert, Councilor, Wakarusa Valley Local
Section
Meeting Overview
The 52nd Midwest Regional ACS Meeting was held on October 18-20 at the Kansas Memorial Union on the campus of the University of Kansas in Lawrence, KS. Total registered attendance for the meeting was 768. Details of meeting registration, including a tabulation of registration categories and categories for special events is included in Appendix 1. Total meeting income was $105,243.24, and total meeting expense was $87,565.32. The meeting generated a net profit of $17,677.92. Details of sources of income and expenses are outlined in Appendix 2.
The meeting offered an opening reception and poster session in the ballroom of the Kansas Memorial Union on Wednesday, October 18th, and full programming encompassing most of the available meeting rooms in the Memorial Union between 8 am and 5 pm on October 19th and 20th. While a full outline of the technical program schedule is provided in Appendix 3, the following is a list of plenary talks, symposia and general sessions offered during the meeting:
Featured Symposia
Midwest Award Address—Plenary Session
Theory /
Spectroscopy / Materials Joint Symposium
Catalysts
and Catalytic Technologies for Fuels, Chemicals, and the Environment
Entrepreneurship:
Starting Companies in the Pharmaceutical Industry
Chemical
Biology of Infectious Disease
From
Molecules to Nanomaterials: Applications in Energy and Catalysis
Spectroscopy
Applied to Structure, Dynamics, and Imaging
Theory of
Interfaces
Organic
Synthesis and Catalysis
Chemical
Biology of Microbial Processes
Analytical
Applications of Microfluidics
New
Directions in Chemical Education
General Sessions
Analytical
Chemistry
Biochemistry
Chemical
Education
Inorganic
Chemistry
Materials
Organic/Medicinal
Chemistry
Physical
Chemistry
Poster
Sessions
Initially, organizers of each symposium were offered $2,000 of support to fund travel and other expenses for speakers for a half-day session. Where possible, with the help of the symposium organizers, the General Program Chairs applied to ACS Divisions for support of specific themed symposia. Support from these Divisions, including funding for a Cope Scholar symposium by the Organic Division, was used to augment support for the symposia. Support from the Divisions was overwhelming, and proved to be very helpful for the meeting.
The meeting program included 527 invited and contributed talks and posters.
For the first time in recent years, the Midwest Regional Award Symposium was held as a plenary session at the end of the technical program on Thursday afternoon, immediately prior to the Midwest Awards Banquet.
K-12 Teacher Programming
K-12 teacher programming, organized by Dr. Roderick Black and Dr. Claudia Bodie, University of Kansas, was offered at the KU School of Pharmacy in KUÕs West District from 8-12 am on October 21st. The sessions included a complimentary breakfast provided by the School of Pharmacy. A total of 41 individuals registered for this program. Four workshops were offered for participating teachers:
á
ÒWhatÕs in your water? A chemistry
inquiry project on fertilizersÓ
By Jennifer
Gartner, Chemistry Teacher at Labette County High School
á
ÒApplications of computational chemistry
in the High School ClassroomÓ
By Stan Spurlin, Chemistry
Teacher, Olathe East High School, and Marco Caricato, Assistant Professor of
Chemistry, University of Kansas
á
ÒScientific Argumentation: Instructional
methods to engage students in higher order reasoningÓ By Dr. Janis Bulgren, Research Professor, University of
Kansas Center for Research on Learning
á
"Project Based Learning in Chemistry" By Michael Ralph and Carol Williamson, Master Teachers at University of
Kansas Center for Teaching Excellence; and Amy Clement, Chemistry Teacher at
Olathe North High School
Career Development Courses
The 2017 Midwest Regional ACS Meeting provided on-site
career development programming developed by ACS and provided by ACS volunteers
with expertise in the topic area. Programming was offered free to student
registrants on a first come first served basis. Sessions were held on Friday,
October 20th, 8 am - 12 pm in the Kansas Memorial Union. Titles and
descriptions of the two sessions are:
á
Finding
Yourself: Identifying a Career That Matches Your Strengths and Values Duration: 3 hours (29 registrants)
á
Networking:
How to Get Started Duration: 1 hour (27
registrants)
A total of 18 students also took advantage of
a free resume review service provided at the meeting.
Governance
Networking Session
The meeting hosted
an ACS Governance Meet and Greet from 4-6 pm on Wednesday, October 18th
immediately prior to the opening of conference registration and the initial
opening reception/poster session. ACS Board of Director members, including ACS
President Elect, Dr. Peter Dorhout, Dr. John Adams, Dr. Kathleen Schultz, and
Dr. Barbara Sawrey attended this session. A total of 141 individuals registered
for the reception.
Awards
The
following regional awards were presented at the 2017 Midwest ACS Meeting:
2017
ACS Midwest Regional Award – sponsored by the St. Louis Section of the
American Chemical Society
Award Recipient: Christer Aakeršy, Kansas
State University
Stanley
C. Israel Regional Award for Advancing Diversity in the Chemical Sciences
Award Recipient:
Prof. Jean A. Chmielewski, Purdue University
ACS
Division of Chemical Education Midwest Regional Award for Excellence in High
School Teaching
Award Recipient:
Amy Clement, Olathe North High
School
E. Ann
Nalley Award for Volunteer Service to the American Chemical Society
Award Recipient:
Jetty Duffy-Matzner, Augustana
University
All of
the award winners above, and speakers participanting in the Midwest Award
Plenary Symposium were offered complimentary registration to the meeting and the
Midwest Awards Banquet.
The
following regional and other awards specific to the 2017 Midwest Regional ACS
Meeting were presented at the awards banquet.
Midwest
Regional Graduate Student Award: The purpose of this award is to
recognize outstanding graduate students from the Midwest Region and allow them
to deliver oral or poster presentations on their research. Award recipients
were nominated by their home institutions, and provided a cash prize,
certificate, complementary meeting registration, and complementary admission to
the awards banquet. Note that funding for these awards was donated by the
Wakarusa Valley Local Section. (Funding for the awards was provided directly
out of section resources, and was not included in the meeting expenses.) Award Recipients:
á
Jason
Applegate, University of Kansas
á
Rajesh
Prabhu Balaraman, Southern Illinois University
á
Tabbetha
Bohac, Washington University in St. Louis
á
Suraj
Donthula, South Central Missouri
á
William
Ehrhardt, Missouri State University
á
Venugopal
KomReddy, Wichita State University
á
Ruben
Shrestha, Kansas State University
á
Amrit
Venkatesh, Iowa State University
2017
MWRM Undergraduate Student Poster Competition: The purpose of this award is to
recognize outstanding undergraduate poster submissions to the 2017 Midwest
Regional Meeting. Poster presentations were judged by graduate student
volunteers. Aware recipients were provided with a cash prize, certificate, and
complementary admission to the awards banquet. Award
Recipients:
á
Caleb
Capellen, University of Nebraska, Kearney
á
Nicholas
Love, University of Kansas
á
Wuilian
Martinez, University of Nebraska, Kearney
á
Skyy
Pineda, Augustana University
á
Eleanor
Stewart-Jones, University of Kansas
Graduate
Inorganic Award Honoring Professor Paul R. Sharp (New Award!): These awards honor the
academic service of Emeritus Professor Paul R. Sharp, the University of
Missouri-Columbia, to the area of Inorganic Chemistry. The prize consists
of two awards ($100 each plus
certificates) to two graduate students in Inorganic
Chemistry (one for an outstanding poster presentation, and one
for an outstanding verbal presentation). Award winners will be chosen from
among inorganic graduate students presenting at the 2017 Midwest Regional ACS
meeting. These awards have been provided by Dr. Robert Robinson and Dr.
N. Malathi Weliange, alumni of Professor SharpÕs research group. Award Recipients:
á Poster
Presentation: Aruna Munasinghe, University of Kansas
á Oral
Presentation: Wade Henke, University of Kansas
Awards
Banquet Arrangements
The Midwest Awards reception and banquet was held at the Oread Hotel immediately following the Midwest Award plenary lecture. All participants were offered one complimentary drink ticket to attend the awards reception prior to the banquet. A total of 291 individuals registered for the award reception. Registrants were offered the option to register for the banquet with the option of a chicken, fish, or vegetarian meal. A total of 79 registrants attended the banquet at a total of $40 per plate, including two drink tickets. Graduate and undergraduate students were offered a complementary ticket to attend the banquet. A total of 61 students registered for the banquet.
Sponsors
The 2017 Midwest ACS Meeting was generously provided monetary support by a range of local and divisional sponsors.
Local Sponsors
á Office of Research
á Department
of Chemistry
á Department
of Medicinal Chemistry
á Higuchi
Biosciences Center
á College
of Liberal Arts and Sciences
á School
of Pharmacy
á Center
for Environmentally Beneficial Catalysis
á School
of Engineering
á Deciphera
Corporation
ACS Sponsors
á ACS
Division of Analytical Chemistry
á ACS
Division of Chemical Education
á ACS
Division of Organic Chemistry
á ACS Division of Energy & Fuels
á ACS
Division of Medicinal Chemistry
á ACS
Division of Colloid and Surface Chemistry
á ACS
Division of Physical Chemistry
á ACS
Division of Inorganic Chemistry
á ACS
Division of Computers in Chemistry
á ACS
Division of Small Chemical Business
á ACS
St. Louis Local Section
Exhibition Arrangements and Exhibitors
The exhibition for the 2017 Midwest ACS Meeting was organized in the Memorial Union Ballroom. To maximize traffic through the exhibition area, all poster sessions for the meeting were held around the perimeter of the exhibition. Furthermore, complementary coffee, drinks and snacks provided by the sponsors were situated in the exhibition area throughout the meeting. The following 29 private sector and academic exhibitors participated in the meeting:
á Vernier
Software and Technology
á University
of Missouri - Kansas City
á Elsevier
á ISS
á KU Center for BioModular Multiscale Systems for Precision
Medicine
á Advion
á Fisher
Scientific and Fisher Chemical
á University
of Kansas Chemistry
á KU COBRE: Center for Molecular Analysis of Disease
Pathways
á KU COBRE: Protein Structure and FunctionKU
COBRE: Protein Structure and Function
á KU COBRE: Chemical Biology of Infectious Disease
Other Social and Networking Events
A breakfast for senior chemists was organized on Friday morning of the conference by Dr. Barbara Schowen, University of Kansas. A total of 19 individuals registered for this event.
A Women in Chemistry Lunch and discussion organized by Dr. Lisa Sharpe Ellis was a very popular event, with over 35 participants registered. Dr. Donna Ginther, whose research has focused on gender equity issues in federal funding, was the keynote speaker at the meeting.
Finally, an informal Younger Chemists Committee night out on Friday evening following the close of the meeting was extremely popular, with nearly 150 registered participants.
Conference Organizing Committee
General Chairs: Tom Prisinzano, University of Kansas
Joe
Heppert, University of Kansas, Texas Tech University
Program Chair: Blake Peterson, University of Kansas
Treasurer: David Benson, University of Kansas
Roderick
Black, University of Kansas
Exhibits Chair: Lisa Sharpe Elles, University of Kansas
Mike
Rafferty, Deciphera Corporation
Local Arr. Chair: Lisa Sharpe Elles, University of Kansas
Fundraising Chair: Mike Rafferty, Deciphera Corporation
Awards Chair: Maggie Witek, University of Kansas
National
Awards: Paul
Rillema, Wichita State University
Webmaster: Sam Leung, Washburn University
Conference Hotel Arrangements
The main conference hotel was the Oread Hotel, approximately one block from the Kansas Memorial Union. The Midwest Awards Reception and Banquet, and the Midwest Regional Governance Breakfast were held at this venue. Blocks of rooms were available at this hotel, and three other hotels in Lawrence; the Springhill Suites and the Towne Place Suites in Downtown Lawrence, and the Double Tree Hotel near the I-70 Kansas Turnpike entrance. Bus transportation was contracted with MV Transportation of Lawrence in the mornings and afternoons, and on Thursday evening to provide convenient access to the remote hotels, though hourly fee parking was also available at a parking structure immediately adjacent to the Kansas Memorial Union. Blocks of rooms in all of the conference hotels were reserved on a contingency-deadline basis. Unused rooms in the blocks reverted to the hotels following the expiration of the room-block registration deadline. This arrangement was made possible by holding the conference during days when with no on-campus athletic events. Consequently, the meeting organizers did not incur any potential liability for un-occupied space in room blocks for the conference hotels.
Appendix 1
Detailed Registration
Spreadsheets for the 2017 Midwest ACS Meeting
Appendix 2
Overall Financial
Balance Sheet for 2017 Midwest ACS Meeting
The ACS Department of Meetings and Exposition Services spreadsheet and the spreadsheet used by the meeting treasurer are included as Appendix 1. A summary of the meeting income and expenses is given below.
Income
Loan (Wakarusa Valley Local ACS Section) $11,367.24
Registration Fees $32,390.00
Exposition $13,455.00
Ticket Event Revenue $3,431.00
Sponsorships $4,000.00
ACS Divisional Direct Support $8,300.00
KU Unit Sponsor Support $31,000.00
Incentive from Xplore Lawrence $1,000.00
Contribution
from St. Louis section $300.00
Total Income $105,243.24
Expenses
Loan repayment (WV local section) $11,367.24
Kansas Union (Meeting rooms, catering, etc) $22,431.50
KU Transit &Parking (Shuttle bus service) $4,357.84
The Oread Hotel (Reception, Banquet, etc.) $11,422.09
Symposium support $25,732.37
ACS Registration Management $3,072.00
Mobile App Fee $5,000.00
Meeting logo and banner $750.24
Awards $700.00
ACS Regional Planning Conference $643.20
High School Teachers workshop $512.22
Table Skirts (gifted to MWRM 2018) $480.87
Reimbursement for registration overcharge: $325.00
Committee and Volunteer Expenses $770.75
Total Expenses $87,565.32
Net Income $17,677.92
Appendix 3
Symposium and Event Schedule for 2017 Midwest ACS Meeting
